How To Think Outside The Box

It??™s difficult to think outside the box in business. Not only because imagination doesn??™t come naturally to all people, but also because creative marketing requires you to walk a fine line between original and just plain silly.

When trying to think up a creative campaign, you must keep in mind three basic principles:

1. Make a proposition to the consumer. Tell them why they should buy this product or this service and explain the benefits that come from buying.

2. Make the proposition unique. It must be something that your competitors do not yet offer.

3. Make the proposition strong, as in emotionally affecting. Whether you use humor or sentimentality to sell your product, your message must be capable of moving millions of customers to take action??”to buy your service.

It??™s amazing to behold how many companies seem to forget these basic principles and embark upon ridiculous campaigns that are all style and show, but very little substances.

Think about all the commercials on television that you hate. Analyze why they are frustrating. It may be because the commercials have little to do with the product and because they are insulting your intelligence in some way.

That??™s all well and good, but how do you come up with that ???edge???, that ???it??? that separates innovative companies from standard startups? Try focusing on the mindset of what most viewers are thinking??”in general or specifically as regards to your subject.

Rather than make the advertising campaign about you, and what your company vows to do, appeal to your audience??™s intellectual and emotional needs.

Thinking outside the box doesn??™t mean thinking so far beyond human comprehension that you create markets that don??™t even exist. It??™s about learning what everyone else is thinking, and then thinking one step ahead of them.

The Worst Salesman Mistakes

Analyzing some of the most egregious salesperson behavior may clue you in on ways to improve your own sales pitches. Assume that a great majority of your competition still make amateur mistakes, and that the rest simply have an inferior product next to yours. Now you have the competitive edge to stay in business! Here are a few mistaken approaches to analyze.

1. Call your potential client on the phone.

There are many ways to find a phone number, so most businesses and important people assume you will respect their time and only phone when necessary. Many salespersons call potential prospects on the phone at the worst time. It??™s far better to email first and then arrange for a call later on. Just because you have someone??™s business card shouldn??™t entitle you to phone abuse.

2. Try to explain brilliance rather than ???show??? it.

Whether you??™re selling software, a new product or a service, have a demonstration ready in multimedia format. This is far more effective than trying to sell a new idea based on words alone. People (especially people who have limited time) want strong visuals explaining how the product will play out.

3. Focus on the hard sell.

A hard sell uses more direct, forceful and overt sales messages. Soft sells are usually more persuasive, since many potential clients will immediately recognize hard sells for what they are: desperate measures by desperate sales personnel. A good product or service sells itself. To some, the hard sell is like covering an old sock in delicious country style gravy.

4. When all else fails, go above the client??™s head.

If one suit rejects you, why not climb the ladder and ask a higher up? Not a good idea. Whether the higher up is the man of the house??™s wife or the boss of the boss, most superiors trust their other half??™s judgment. In fact, professionally speaking, most higher-ups know far less about buying new ideas than the professional in charge of hearing your pitch. They will probably end up referring you the original prospect you spoke to or emailed.

Avoid these mistakes! Come up with a good product or service and the less common sales tactics you use, the better you will sell!

Five Advertising Campaigns to Remember

There have been countless commercials and marketing campaigns that have touched humankind throughout the years.

When an advertising campaign is successful, it not only establishes a name and a product, it incorporates the company into the zeitgeist of a country??™s culture.

Many of these products (by no means a definitive list but still among the most memorable) are so well known that they have transcended advertising campaigns and have become a part of American culture. Consider five big winners.

5. Apple, ???1984???

Apple??™s ???1984??? Macintosh commercial was created to provide computer-savvy audiences with a feeling of empowerment, revolting against the conformity of the current computer market, dominated by IBM. Why sell just a computer when you can attach all these Orwellian ideas about freedom and struggle to your product?

4. U.S. Army, “Be all that you can be”

If anyone has a difficult job in the country, it??™s the head marketing recruiter for the United States Army. How do you sell an element of danger and an undercurrent of political war to millions of Americans? You have to connect emotionally to your audience??”the U.S. Army went all out to pique the yearning heart of every U.S. citizen who is undecided about the future of their life.

3. Hallmark, “When you care enough to send the very best”,

The original Hallmark Cards campaign first came out in the 1930s. By attaching their company name to a line of emotionally charged cards, they changed the very lifestyle of the American public. Why pour out your heart in a handwritten letter when you can buy a Hallmark Card and go about your busy day without the threat of an emotional catharsis?

2.Energizer, ???The Energizer Bunny???

Not only did Energizer get their point across, they tickled America??™s funny bone relentlessly until the commercial-overlapping little pink bunny became a nuisance worthy of numerous parodies. Now whenever you buy batteries, you know that the Energizer battery will work to the point that you actually want it to stop.

1. DeBeers, “A diamond is forever”

More than any other advertising company in history, DeBeers transformed the social consciousness of America and countries far beyond. Before DeBeers??™ diamond campaign sparkled, diamonds were a pricey rarity usually not associated with marriage, engagement or anything beyond a trivial buy. However, the urgency and dramatic nature of DeBeers??™ marketing campaign influenced viewers to buy diamond rings for their sweetheart. Seriously, you owe your marriage to DeBeers!